Method and apparatus for bagging objects

Abstract

A method and apparatus for bagging a cylindrical object in one bag in a plurality of bags. The apparatus includes a finger assembly with fingers that are placed into a partially opened open end of the bag that is to receive the cylindrical object. After insertion into the open end of the bag, the fingers are separated uniformly in all directions and moved away from the rest of the bags, providing an appropriately shaped opening for the object to pass into the bag. The object passes through the expanded plurality of fingers into the opened open end of the bag. After the bag has been filled, a gripper finger grasps one edge of the bag and the finger assembly moves upwardly away from the bag as the bag is pulled onto a conveyor, where the bag is closed in a bag closure machine.

I claim: 
     
       1. An apparatus for opening the open end of a flexible bag having a permanently closed end and an open end for placing an object of generally a similar shape as the shape of the fully opened open end into the bag, comprising: means for partially opening the open end of the bag; and   finger means for inserting into the partially opened open end and expanding the open end substantially uniformly in all directions by pivoting the fingers simultaneously with a radial component after insertion thereinto to further open the partially opened open end into an object receiving condition, and means for delivering the object through the opened open end to contain the object within the bag,   wherein the finger means comprises a first annular ring having a center aperture having a central axis and a plurality of arms pivotally attached to said first annular ring, each arm having one of the fingers attached thereto and means for causing each of the arms to pivot, each of the fingers extending into said center aperture of the first annular ring and being substantially parallel to said central axis, and wherein said means for causing said arms to pivot includes each said arm also having a second pivot, and wherein said second pivot of each arm is simultaneously moved in a circle around said central axis to cause said arms to pivot.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the finger means comprises a plurality of fingers held together in a first substantially circular configuration and means for causing the plurality of fingers to be separated from each other in a second substantially circular configuration, the plurality of fingers being inserted into the partially opened open end when they are in the first substantially circular configuration and then being changed to the second substantially circular configuration, thereby opening the open end. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for partially opening the open end comprises means for producing a stream of air directed toward the open end until the fingers are inserted in the open end. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for detecting if the partially opened open end has not been completely opened and produced a signal to prevent an attempted insertion of an object into the bag. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the finger means opens the partially opened open end to form a substantially circular aperture. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for partially opening the open end comprises means for producing a stream of air directed through the open end toward the closed end of the bag until the finger means are inserted in the open end. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus for opening the open end of a flexible bag having a permanently closed end and an open end for placing an object of generally a similar shape as the shape of the fully opened open end into the bag, comprising: means for partially opening the open end of the bag; and,   finger means for inserting into the partially opened open end and expanding the open end substantially uniformly in all directions by pivoting the fingers simultaneously with a radial component after insertion thereinto to further open the partially opened open end into an object receiving condition, and means for delivering the object through the opened open end to contain the object within the bag,   wherein the means for partially opening the open end comprises means for producing a stream of air directed through the open end toward the closed end of the bag until the finger means are inserted in the open end,   wherein the finger means comprises a first annular ring having a center aperture having a central axis and a plurality of arms pivotally attached to said first annular ring, each arm having one of the fingers attached thereto and means for causing each of the arms to pivot, each of the fingers extending into said center aperture of the first annular ring and being substantially parallel to said central axis, and wherein said means for causing said arms to pivot includes each said arm also having a second pivot and wherein said second pivot of each arm is simultaneously moved in a circle around said central axis to cause said arms to pivot.   
     
     
       8. An apparatus for opening the open end of a flexible bag having a permanently closed end and an open end, comprising: means for partially opening the open end of the bag;   finger means for inserting into the partially opened open end and expanding the open end substantially uniformly in all directions after insertion thereinto to further open the partially opened open end;   said means for partially opening the open end comprising means for producing a stream of air directed toward the open end;   said finger means comprising a first annular ring having a center aperture having a central axis and a plurality of arms pivotally attached to said first annular ring, each arm having one of the fingers attached thereto and means for causing each of the arms to pivot, each of the fingers extending into said center aperture of the first annular ring and being substantially parallel to said central axis; and   each of the plurality of arms further comprises a pushed surface, means for causing each of the arms to pivot simultaneously comprising a second annular ring having a plurality of members projecting perpendicularly therefrom and each having a pushing surface, the second annular ring being parallel to and having its center along a common axis with the first annular ring, each of the members on the second annular ring engaging a corresponding pushed surface on a corresponding arm and causing the arms to pivot between the first configuration and the second configuration when the first and second annular rings are rotated relative to each other about their common axis.